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Book/Printed Material A curious hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth Curious hieroglyphick Bible

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About this Item

Title

  • A curious hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth : designed chiefly to familiarize tender age, in a pleasing and diverting manner, with early ideas of the Holy Scriptures : to which are subjoined, a short account of the lives of the Evangelists, and other pieces

Other Title

  • Curious hieroglyphick Bible

Summary

  • A hieroglyphic Bible replaces some of the words of the text with pictures. Such Bibles were at one time very popular in Great Britain and America and were used as a means of teaching Scripture to children in a direct, simple, and interesting way. Presented here is the first American hieroglyphic Bible, A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select Passages in the Old and New Testaments, produced in 1788 by the preeminent early American printer and pioneer publisher of children's literature Isaiah Thomas (1749-1831). A landmark in 18th-century American book illustration, the Bible contains nearly 500 woodcuts by American artists and is the most ambitious woodcut book produced in America up to that time. In his preface, Thomas offers the book not only as a pleasing method of teaching Bible lessons to children, but as "an easy Way of leading them on in Reading." Thomas learned the art of engraving while apprenticed in his youth to the Boston printer Zechariah Fowle. Based primarily in Worcester, Massachusetts, Thomas produced 65 children's books and is widely acclaimed as America's first enlightened printer of such books, often compared with John Newbery of London, England, with whom he shared the motto, "Instruction with delight." The book was inscribed by its first owner, "Enoch Brooks' Book, Princeton, March 13th, 1789." It is one of four copies of the book known to exist today. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Thomas, Isaiah, 1749-1831, printer.
  • American Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • [Worcester] : Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts, by Isaiah Thomas and sold ... at his bookstore, 1788.

Headings

  • -  Hieroglyphic Bibles

Genre

  • Juvenile literature--1788

Notes

  • -  Originally published: London : T. Hodgson, 1783.
  • -  Signatures: A-M⁶.
  • -  ESTC W38300
  • -  Evans 20961
  • -  Rosenbach, A.S.W. Children's books, 128
  • -  Welch, D.A. Amer. children's books, 510
  • -  LAC ecr 2019-01-30 no edits (2 cards)
  • -  Orig. ed. in BLC, v. 28, p. 501.

Medium

  • viii, 9-144 p. : ill. ; 15 cm. (12mo)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BS560 1788

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 82466849

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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Credit Line: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Thomas, Isaiah, Printer, and American Imprint Collection. A curious hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth: designed chiefly to familiarize tender age, in a pleasing and diverting manner, with early ideas of the Holy Scriptures: to which are subjoined, a short account of the lives of the Evangelists, and other pieces. [Worcester: Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts, by Isaiah Thomas and sold ... at his bookstore, 1788] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/82466849/.

APA citation style:

Thomas, I. & American Imprint Collection. (1788) A curious hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth: designed chiefly to familiarize tender age, in a pleasing and diverting manner, with early ideas of the Holy Scriptures: to which are subjoined, a short account of the lives of the Evangelists, and other pieces. [Worcester: Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts, by Isaiah Thomas and sold ... at his bookstore] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/82466849/.

MLA citation style:

Thomas, Isaiah, Printer, and American Imprint Collection. A curious hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth: designed chiefly to familiarize tender age, in a pleasing and diverting manner, with early ideas of the Holy Scriptures: to which are subjoined, a short account of the lives of the Evangelists, and other pieces. [Worcester: Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts, by Isaiah Thomas and sold ... at his bookstore, 1788] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/82466849/>.